An eight-game winning streak has moved the Philadelphia Flyers over .500 for the first time since Nov. 13. Carter Hart made 18 of his 41 saves in the third period to preserve the Flyers' 2-1 victory over Vancouver. Hart improved to 10-5-1 since being recalled from the minors in December.
Jakub Voracek scored 3:20 into the second period to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead. Sean Couturier notched a power-play goal for Philadelphia, which was 16-23-6 before the winning streak. Brock Boeser scored in the middle period for the Canucks, who are 1-1 on their four-game road trip.
Tyler Toffoli set up the tying goal and scored 25 seconds into overtime to complete the Kings' 4-3 triumph over the Rangers. Los Angeles trailed three times before Adrian Kempe beat Henrik Lundqvist with one minute left in regulation.
Elsewhere on NHL ice, Jake Muzzin collected his first three points since joining the Maple Leafs last week as the defenseman provided a goal and two assists in a 6-1 pounding of the Ducks. Andreas Johnsson had two goals and two assists as Toronto improved to 3-0-1 in its last four games to move three points ahead of second-place Montreal in the Atlantic Division.
Tyler Seguin scored a tiebreaking goal with 7:32 left, capping the Stars' four-goal third period in a 5-4 victory over the Coyotes. Ben Bishop made 39 saves as Dallas extended its winning streak to a season-best five games.
In NHL news, the Washington Capitals have signed backup goaltender Pheonix Copley to a three-year, $3.3 million contract. Copley is 10-5-3 with a 2.98 goals-against average and one shutout in 19 games this season. Copley will count $1.1 million against the salary cap in each of the next three seasons.
NBA
Giannis Antetokounmpo had game highs of 30 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in the Bucks' fourth straight win, a 113-94 rout of the Nets in Brooklyn. Malcolm Brogdon finished with 16 points and Eric Bledsoe added 15 to help Milwaukee improve to a league-best 39-13.
Checking out Monday's other NBA action, the Denver Nuggets have lost their share of first place in the NBA's Western Conference by losing big at Detroit. The Pistons ended the Nuggets' six-game winning streak as Andre Drummond scored 14 of his season-high 27 points in the third quarter of a 129-103 rout of Denver at Detroit. Blake Griffin had 17 points for the Pistons, who opened the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run to push their lead to 23 points. Trey Lyles had 20 points for the Denver, which played without forward Paul Millsap due to right ankle soreness. The outcome puts the Nuggets a half-game behind the West-leading Warriors.
James Harden reached the 30-point mark for the 27th straight game by torching the Suns for 44 in the Rockets' 118-110 victory at Phoenix. Harden joined Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and Rick Barry as the only players with 20 games of at least 40 points in the first 50 of a season.
Darren Collison capped a 22-point performance with a 3-pointer and a free throw during the final two minutes of the Pacers' 109-107 win at New Orleans. Domantas Sabonis had 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Myles Turner added 15 points and nine rebounds in Indiana's second straight win since a four-game slide.
Marvin Bagley III came off the bench to score 24 points in the Kings' 127-112 win against the Spurs. De'Aaron Fox dropped in 20 points and Yogi Ferrell had 19 for Sacramento, which shot 56 percent in its third straight win.
Taurean Prince scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and hit five of Atlanta's 20 3-pointers in a 137-129 downing of the Wizards in Washington. Rookie guard Kevin Huerter drained five 3s and was among nine Atlanta players scoring in double figures, finishing with 19 points.
In NBA news, Caris LeVert will practice with the Nets' NBA G League affiliate on Tuesday as he works to return from a dislocated right foot. Coach Kenny Atkinson says Monday that he doesn't know how soon LeVert will be ready for game action, though he says the guard is "progressing great." LeVert was leading the Nets with 18.4 points per game when he was injured Nov. 12 at Minnesota.
Kristaps Porzingis won't play for the Dallas Mavericks this season as he continues his recovery from a knee injury suffered last February. The Mavs acquired the 2018 All-Star in a blockbuster trade with the New York Knicks last week. The 7-foot-3 Latvian can become a restricted free agent after this season, but Dallas owner Mark Cuban says he envisions Porzingis forming a Euro star pairing with 19-year-old rookie Luka Doncic for years to come.
The Portland Trail Blazers have added front-court depth by getting Rodney Hood from Cleveland. The Cavaliers receive guards Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin, along with a second-round pick in 2021 and 2023. Hood is averaging 12.2 points in 45 games this season, his fifth in the NBA. He signed a one-year, $3.4 million qualifying offer last summer after helping Cleveland reach the 2018 NBA Finals.
Chris Bosh will have his No. 1 jersey retired by the Miami Heat on March 26, three years after playing his last game for the team. Bosh played parts of six seasons in Miami before his career was cut short by recurring issues with blood clots. Bosh helped Miami reach the NBA Finals four times and win championships in 2012 and 2013.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In men's basketball, Marist beat Canisius, 78-71, and Siena took down Fairfield, 61-50. In women's college basketball, Canisius topped Iona, 67-47.
In top-25 basketball, Louisville won a battle of top-25 ACC teams while continuing their hex on Virginia Tech. Ryan McMahon scored 12 of his 17 points during an 83-second span of the second half to help the 16th-ranked Cardinals beat the No. 11 Hokies for the 15th straight time, 72-64. McMahon nailed three free throws and a trio of 3-pointers during his second-half spree. Jordan Nwora and Dwayne Sutton each scored 15 for the 17-6 Cardinals, who ended Virginia Tech's 12-game home winning streak. Kerry Blackshear Jr. scored 21 points and Nickeil Alexander-Walker 17 for the Hokies.
In Monday's other top-25 finals, Lindell Wigginton scored 17 points in helping No. 17 Iowa State pull out a 75-74 victory at Oklahoma. Marial Shayok scored 10 of his 16 points in the final eight minutes, including a crucial off-balance 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 1:19 remaining.
Brandone Francis scored a season-high 16 points and No. 18 Texas Tech went on a 13-0 run midway through the first half to take control in an 81-50 thrashing of West Virginia. The Mountaineers finished with only nine made field goals, the fewest ever for a Big 12 team.
In college basketball news, Tennessee remains at No. 1 for the third straight week and the top four are unchanged in The Associated Press men's basketball poll. The Volunteers received 48 of 64 first-place votes, second-ranked Duke claimed 12 and No. 3 Virginia four. Gonzaga and Kentucky round out the top five and are followed by Nevada, Michigan, North Carolina, Michigan State and Marquette. The Wolverines dropped two spots following their loss to Iowa, and the Spartans fell three notches with a setback against visiting Indiana. No. 25 Cincinnati moved into the AP Top 25 for the first time this season.
NFL
The Patriots are being celebrated in Boston after defeating the Rams to claim their sixth Super Bowl title on Sunday. Their parade kicks off Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. at the Hynes Convention Center, and will rumble roughly 2 miles past the Boston Common and other landmarks before ending at City Hall. Officials anticipate more than a million attendees. Mayor Marty Walsh warns fans not to throw anything at the team. Errant beer cans marred the Red Sox championship parade last year.
Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty says he'll skip the traditional Super Bowl champions' visit to the White House. Teammate and twin brother Jason says he doubts he would make the trip if the team is invited by President Donald Trump. Their comments came after the Patriots returned home from Atlanta with their sixth Lombardi Trophy.
The Patriots' Super Bowl win over the Los Angeles Rams was seen by 100.7 million viewers, the smallest Super Bowl audience in a decade. The Nielsen company said viewership dropped 3 percent from last year's 103.4 million. The TV audience has been dwindling since its 2015 peak of 114.4 million.
The Giants have released veteran linebacker Connor Barwin, who finished with just one sack and 12 tackles in 15 games last season. Barwin signed a two-year contract with the Giants last July after playing for the Texans, Eagles and Rams. Barwin's release creates a $365,000 hit against New York's 2019 salary cap.
In other NFL news, the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals have hired head coaches, with each team taking a member of a Super Bowl staff. The Dolphins have hired Brian Flores to take over for Adam Gase, and the Bengals have replaced Marvin Lewis with Zac Taylor. Flores just won the Super Bowl after serving as the New England Patriots' linebackers coach. He was the first person interviewed by Miami after the team fired Gase. The Dolphins decided on Jan. 11 to offer him Flores the job, but they had to wait until New England's season ended to complete the agreement. Flores is the ninth former assistant to Bill Belichick to become a head coach, and the NFL's fourth minority head coach for 2019. Taylor comes to the Bengals after serving as the Rams' quarterbacks coach. He helped in the development of quarterback Jared Goff as Los Angeles turned into one of the NFL's top offenses. Like the Dolphins, the Bengals had to wait to complete the hiring until the Rams' season ended with Sunday's 13-3 loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
MLB
Baseball Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson plans to retire after the annual induction ceremony in July. The 54-year-old Idelson succeeded Dale Petroskey as Hall president in 2008. He began his professional career with the Boston Red Sox in 1986, then was the New York Yankees' director of media relations and publicity from 1989-93. Hall of Fame Chairman Jane Forbes Clark says the board of directors has established a search committee.
In other major league baseball news, reliever Chris Devenski and the Houston Astros avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract worth just over $1,5 million. Devenski was 2-3 with a 4.18 ERA last year, striking out 51 and walking 13 in 47 1/3 innings. He was sidelined between July 27 and Aug. 30 because of left hamstring tightness, the first time in his big league career he was on the disabled list. Astros starter Gerrit Cole remains scheduled for a hearing. He has asked for a raise from $6.75 million to $13.5 million. Astros shortstop Carlos Correa is expected to receive an arbitration decision on Tuesday.
Francisco Liriano is back with the Pirates after accepting a minor league contract and an invitation to big league camp. He pitched for Pittsburgh from 2013-16, going 41-36 with a 3.67 ERA and 659 strikeouts in 107 starts.
Left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins has agreed to a minor league contract to rejoin the Athletics. The 35-year-old broke into the majors with Oakland in 2007 and went 3-2 with a 4.85 ERA in 64 appearances for the Mets last year.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Tommy Pham has asked for $4.1 million this season through arbitration, while the team countered with a $3.5 million offer. Pham made $570,000 last season while hitting .275 with 21 homers and 63 RBIs for St. Louis and Tampa Bay, which acquired him on July 31. He batted .343 with seven homers and 22 RBIs in 39 games for the Rays.
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